Laundry drier



Oct. 30, 1928.

T. J. MULLEN LAUNDRY DRIER Filed May 2, 19,27

2 Sheets-Sheet l 0t.3o,192s. 1,689,743

T. J. MULLEN LAUNDRY DR I ER Filed May 2, 1927 2 sheets-sheet 2 A TTORNIY Patented Oct. 30, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFigcE.

LAUNDRY DRIER.

Application led May 2,

My invention relates to laundry apparatus and particularly to a laundry drier and ironer.

It is desirable, in order to do good ironing, to bring the'faces of the laundry being ironed into contact with a smooth steel face.

It is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus for drying and ironing laundry in which one side of the laundry will be brought into contact with a smooth surface and subsequently the other sidewill be brought into contact with a smooth surface.

In the ordinary laundry ironer there is a tendency for pieces of laundry having seams to wrinkle when they pass through the ironer.

It is an object of my invention to provide a laundry drier and ironer in which the laundry cannot wrinkle.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of this character in which the ironing occurs under pressure.

A still further object is to provide an apparatus which is continuous in operation.

Other objects and advantages will be made evident hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings in which I illustrate my invention: u Fig. 1 is a vertical cross section through a complete apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of eferring to the drawings in detail, the form of my invention illustrated has a primary drum 11, a secondary drum12, and a tertiary drum 13. As typically illustrated in Fig. 2 these drums have trunnions 15 which are surrounded by ball bearings 16, the ball bearings 16 being supported by a main frame 17 of the apparatus. The drums have cylindrical walls 19 which provide smooth cylindrical surfaces 20'. The drums are heated by introducing steam into chambers 21 thereof. The steam is introduced by means of steam-pipes 22 which extend through openings 23 provided'in the trun' nions 15 of the drums. Stuiling-boxes 24 are provided around the pipes 23 foi-preventing leakage. The steam will condense and form in bodies in the lower parts of the drum. This water may be withdrawn by means of water Withdrawal pipes 26, the inner ends of which terminate near the bottoms 1927. Serial No. 188,296.

of the chambers 21, and which extend through the inner ends of the pipes 22.

The primary drum 11 has a primary intake roller 28 and a primary exhaust roller 29. The secondary drum 12 has a'secondary intake roller 30 and a secondary exhaust roller 31. The tertiary drum 13 has a tertiary intake roller 33 and a tertiary exhaust roller 34. A primary endless web- 36 is provided which extends around the primary intake and exhaust rollers 28 and 29 and in contact with the cylindrical surface 20 of the primary drum 11. This endless web also extends around the secondary intake and exhaust rollers 30 and 31 and around the secondary drum 12 but not in contact therewith. Guide rollers 37 are provided around which the primary endless Web 36 is extended, these guide rollers being placed between the secondary exhaust roller v31 and the tertiary intake roller 33. The primary endless web 36 extends partly around the tertiary intake roller 33 and around primary carrier rollers 39 and from ythere back to the primary intake roller 28. For the purpose of preventing slack in the primary endless web and for maintaining a certain tension thereon I provide a tensioning arrangement indicated by the numeral 40. This tensioning arrangement comprises a pair of fixed rollers 41, and a sliding roller 42 which is placed between the fixed rollers 41. The weight of the sliding roller 42 forms a loop 43 in the primary endless web 36 which supports the primary roller. This arrangement maintains a desirable tension on the primary endless web. 'i

The invention also provides a secondary endless web 48. vThe secondary endless web 48 is carried at the left end by secondary carrier rollers 49. The secondary endless web passes from engagement with the upper secondary carrier roller /49 and around the primary exhaust roller 29, inl contact with the primary endless web 36. The secondary endless web remains in contact with-the primary endless web until the tertiary intake roller 33 is reached. At this pointy the primary endless web passes around the rimary carrier rollers39, whereas the secon ary endless web 48 passes yaround the tertiary drum 13 in contact therewith.

The secondary endlessI web 48 passes around thc tertiary exhaust roller 34 and then around secondar carrier rollers 51 to the opposite end of t e apparatus. A tensioning device 53 isV provided for maintaining a tension on the secondary endless web 48. This tensioning device comprises a pair of xed rollers 54 and a central slidable roller 55 around` which a loop 56 of the secondary endless web 48 passes. The weight of 'the sliding roller' 55 is supported by the loop 56 and in this manner a tension 1s maintained on the secondary endless web- 48. It will be noted in. Fig. 1 that the secondary endless web passes around the secondary drum 12 in actual contact with it.

For the purpose of causing the webs to pressurally engage the primary and seconda drums 11 and 12 I provide pressureapplying means which consists of frames 59 which are pivoted at 60. The frames 59 carry pressure rollers 61 which extend parallel to the axis of the drums and are adapted to contact the outer faces of t-he webs. Levers 62 are provided, these levers having fulcrums 63 and being connected to the free ends of the frames 59 by links 64. Weights 65 are attached to the ends of the leve-rs 62 for adjusting the pressural engagement of the rollers 61 with the Webs. I

The entire apparatus is driven by a motor which operates a vertical drive shaft 71 by suitable gearing 72. As illustrated best in Fig. 2 the upper end of the drive shaft is provided with a beveled gear 73 which engages a beveled gear 74 extending from one of the trunnions 15 of the primary'drum 11. The primary drum is the only part of the apparatus which is directly driven by the motor 70. The rest ofthe apparatus is driven as follows l: The primary endless web 36 being in contact with the primary drum 11 is driven by it; this primary endless web being in engagement with the secondary endless web 48 drives it. The secondary endless web drives the secondary drum 12 and the tertiary-drum 13. Pieces of.laundry to be dried and ironed are introduced into-the apparatus by a feed means indicated at 76 in Fig. 1. This means comprises a plurality of rollers`77 around which an endless belt 78 is passed. The endless belt 7 8l may be driven by engagement with the primary drum 11, as shown, or it may be driven by driving one of the rollers 77. The endless belt 7S provides an upper flat surface on`which the pieces of laundry are placed so as to be carried toward the primary drum l1 and introduced substantially at the juncture of the surface of the drum and a surface of the primary endless web 36.

Laundry being dried passes into engagement with the prima drum 11 and with an inner face of the primary endless web 36. The drum and the endless web maintain the laundry fiat, in View of the fact that they vare in close contact and are traveling at the same rate of speed. Good ironing of the laundry 1s assured by the pressure applied by the pressure rollers 61. The laundry leaves the primary drum 11 Where the endless web separates from the drum. To be sure that the laundry will lie flat against the primary endless web 36 when it leaves the primary drum 11, I provide a spray-pipe 80, shown in Figs. 1 and 3, having nozzles 81 which are adapted to direct jets of air against the laundry so that it will be freed from the surface of the primary drum 11. The laundry follows the -primary endless web 36 and passes between it and the secondary endless web 48. This laundry is retained in a flat position between these endless webs and is passed around the secondary drum 12, pressure being applied thereto by the pressure rollers 61. The laundry upon reaching the point of separation of the endless webs at the tertiar feed roller 33 Will follow the secondary en less web 48. At this place a spraypi-pe 83 having nozzles 84 is provided for directing jetsl of air against the laundry in order to cause it to .lie fiat against the secondary endless web 48. The laundry thereafter passes between the secondary endless web 48 and the tertiary drum 13 in contact with the smooth surface 2O thereof. When the laundry reaches the tertiary exhaust roller 34 it is caused to follow the secondary endless web 48 by jets of air directed thereagainst b nozzles 86 of a spray-pipe 87. The laundry ollows a short flat portion 88 of the secondary endless web 48 and thereafter passes onto a take-off plate 89.

The important part of the apparatus is that it maintains the laundry flat during ironing, entirely eliminating any wrinkling. In addition to this, the apparatusfirst brings one side of the laundry into contact with a smooth hot surface, inve'rts the laundry, and thereafter brings the opposite side into contact with another smooth hot surface.

The pressure rollers 61, although not indispensable, are desirable since they are efiicacious in forcing out any air pockets which may form between the laundry and the surface of the primary roller 11 or the adjacent surfaces of the endless webs.

The jets of air directed against the laundry at different places in the apparatus are found to be very satisfactory for the purpose of causing the laundry to follow the proper path and to prevent it from wrinkling.

In this application I am presenting only a preferred form of the invention. If desired, various modifications may be made but I wish it to be understood that these modifications come within the spirit and scope of this invention which is pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An apparatus of the class described, the

combination of: a primary drum; a secondary of said tertiary drum, said secondary web engaging said primaryweb after it leaves said primary drum and disengages said primary web before said secondary web engages said tertiary drum, said primary and secondary Webs both passing around said secondary drum; and drive mechanism for operating one of said drums..

2. A combination as defined in claim l'having means for directing air-blasts in such a manner as' to cause pieces to follow said endless webs.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of: a primary drum; a sec` ondary drum; a tertiary drum; a secondary web in direct contact with said secondary and said tertiary drums; and a primary web in direct contact with said primary drum and eX- tending around said secondary drum in overlying Contact with said secondar web.

4. A Combination as defined 1n claim 3 in combination with means adapted to press the overlying Webs toward the secondary drum.

5. A combination as defined in claim 3 in combination with air-blast means maintaining pieces in contact with said primary web as said primary web leaves` said primary drum; and other air-blast means maintaining said pieces in contact with said secondary web as said secondary web leaves said primary web, said air-blasts serving to prevent said pieces from wrinkling.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of: an intake drum adapted to receive pieces to be ironed; a primary Web engaging the surface of said primary drum; a discharge drum adapted to discharge said pieces in finished condition; a secondary web engaging the surface of said discharge drum, said secondary web engaging said primary Web after it leaves said intake drum and disengaging Said primary web before said secondary web engages said discharge drum airblast means maintaining said pieces in contact with said primary Web as said primary web leaves said intake drum; and other airblast means maintaining said pieces in contact with said secondary web as said secondary web leaves said primaryweb, said air-blasts serving to prevent said pieces from Wrinkling.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 25th day of April, 1927.

THOMAS J. MULLEN. 

